Firefighter declared unfit for duty over suspected intoxication

HARTFORD, Conn. — A week after a Hartford firefighter was suspended following a string of suspected alcohol-related incidents, another city firefighter was relieved of duty by his superiors Monday morning over suspicion of on-the-job intoxication, fire department sources said.

Cinque L. Scott, awaiting trial on an unrelated charge of driving under the influence of alcohol, is assigned to Engine 9 on New Britain Avenue. Scott, 44, of West Hartford, was declared unfit for duty and the engine company was taken out of service for a period of time because it was left short-handed, the sources said. Scott is not the driver of the engine.

Fire Chief Carlos Huertas declined to comment on the Scott matter. Scott could not immediately be reached for comment.

"It is the City of Hartford's position not to comment on ongoing personnel matters,'' Huertas said. "At this time, there is not much I can share with you. We take our investigations seriously and conduct them in a manner that the integrity of our investigation process will not be compromised."

Maribel La Luz, a spokeswoman for Mayor Pedro Segarra, said the mayor was not commenting on the matter.

On June 18, firefighter Douglas Caldwell was suspended without pay for 89 days and was ordered to sign an undated letter of resignation stating he'd leave the job if he was involved in another on-duty incident in the next two years.

Caldwell was declared unfit for duty at least four times from January 2012 to April 2014, including three times in a seven-month period, departmental records show. He was also involved in at least two off-duty incidents, including an arrest for public drinking in Hartford earlier in June.

Scott had failed to show up for work Monday morning at 8 a.m. and was considered absent without leave, sources said. After he arrived at the firehouse, his superiors suspected he was intoxicated and he was relieved of duty, the sources said. Under the drug and alcohol policy, a member who has been confronted on the job can refer himself to the employee assistance program once in a two-year period. Scott's prior on-duty disciplinary history could not be determined Monday.

Scott was charged while off-duty with driving under the influence of alcohol on Nov. 2, 2013, in Manchester and is awaiting trial in that case, court records show. His next court appearance is Wednesday. Scott is free on a $1,000 non-surety bond.

According to court records, Scott refused to submit to a breath test when he was arrested in Manchester. He maintains he was not the driver of the car, and that the vehicle was inoperable, the records state. Scott's girlfriend testified at a Department of Motor Vehicles hearing that she was the driver before the car broke down. She parked the car and left Scott in the vehicle, according to Scott's appeal of a January 2014 DMV ruling suspending Scott's license.

Scott served two days in jail and was placed on probation for 18 months following a July 10, 2010, arrest for DUI.

He was sentenced to 19 days in jail and fined $500 after his arrest on Feb. 6, 2010, for driving while his license was suspended for DUI.

The Courant could not locate a DUI conviction that would have preceded the February 2010 arrest for driving with a suspended license.